‘Barbie’ from Warner Bros. May Star Margot Robbie and Get Directed by Patty Jenkins
After a period of Development Hell over at Sony Pictures, Mattel is giving the reins to a live-action Barbie adaptation to Warner Brothers, who may already have found a lead in the form of Suicide Squad and Birds of Prey Margot Robbie. A potential name for the director of the project may be none other than Wonder Woman and Wonder Woman 1984‘s Patty Jenkins, which would set the stage quite nicely for a DC reunion of sorts.
The Hollywood Reporter is reporting that Robbie is in talks to star in Barbie. Previously, Robbie was in the running to star before scheduling conflicts got in the way, with Amy Schumer and Anne Hathaway being attached at varying points in time when the movie was still being developed by Sony. However, Mattel is now trusting a different studio with the project after the rights reverted back to the toy company, and it already sounds like it’s a bigger priority for WB than it ever was under Sony.
Should Robbie star in Barbie, her production company (LuckyChap Entertainment) will also sign on. LuckyChap has a first-look deal in place with Warner Brothers, and their involvement would continue to strengthen Robbie’s ties to the studio as work continues on the DC Films movie Birds of Prey, along with a sequel to Suicide Squad and various other projects starring Harley Quinn in varying stages of development.
Jenkins is apparently in the running for the project, but right now it doesn’t look like she’s about to sign on. (There seem to be conflicting reports on this point, one of which suggests that she’s outright out of negotiations.) So if Jenkins changes her mind and directs the project after all, is it too much to ask if we can get Henry Cavill to play Ken so that this still ends up being an unexpected DC reunion?
Barbie is in development at Warner Brothers.
Grant Davis is a freelance writer who has covered entertainment news for more than seven years. His articles have frequently appeared in Star Wars News Net as well as as other entertainment-related websites. As someone who grew up on Star Wars and comic book movies, he’s completely thrilled with the current era of genre entertainment.
